Analysis of the smoke of cigarettes containing Salvia divinorum.

Smoking dried Salvia divinorum leaf delivers only about 5% of the salvinorin A present in the plant material. An 830 mg cigarette containing roughly 2.7 mg of salvinorin A delivered on average 133 μg of the compound in the smoke. Hydrolysis converts some salvinorin A to inactive salvinorin B during smoking, with more salvinorin B (217 μg) than salvinorin A (133 μg) delivered per cigarette. Because smoking produces hallucinogenic effects and salvinorin A is the presumed active ingredient, the estimated effective inhaled dose is less than 133 μg per person. Rapid metabolism in the body means the dose reaching the brain is substantially lower.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Salvia divinorum is a hallucinogen sold over the internet in several forms. Perhaps the most common method of use is smoking the dried leaf material. The sole presumed active constituent, salvinorin A, is a selective kappa-opioid receptor agonist. Upon smoking of the dried leaf material, some of the salvinorin A is destroyed or converted to other materials, leaving in question the actual amount of salvinorin A delivered that leads to the psychotomimetic effect. On average, 133 μg of salvinorin A was delivered in the smoke from an 830 mg per cigarette, which contained ∼2.7 mg of salvinorin A. Hence, only ∼5% of the salvinorin A available in the dried plant material was delivered in the smoke. Upon smoking, hydrolysis of salvinorin A to salvinorin B, an inactive and minor component of the leaf material, also occurs as evidenced by a higher delivered amount of salvinorin B vs salvinorin A (217 vs 133 μg per cigarette). Since smoking is an effective means of achieving the hallucinogenic effect and salvinorin A is the presumed sole active ingredient in the plant, the estimated effective dose of salvinorin A by inhalation is <133 μg per person. Considering the reported rapid metabolism of salvinorin A in vivo, the dose reaching the brain would be substantially less.